‘Robin Hood: Origins’ Picked Up By Lionsgate In A Forest Of Sherwood Tales

EXCLUSIVE: Just how many merry men can Hollywood hold? Yet another, courtesy of Lionsgate. Robin Hood: Origins, the Joby Harold script is finding a home at the studio which is in negotiations to acquire it now. RH:Origins, as my colleague Mike Fleming wrote about previously, is one of many Robin Hood-based projects at various studios, albeit the Harold take is said to be an edgier take at the fabled do-gooder who stole from the rich and gave to the poor.

There are other Robin Hood projects also set up around town. Disney has the Brandon Barker spec Nottingham & Hood which is said to be a revisionist take (in the vein of Pirates of the Caribbean) and has more of an Enchanted take to it. The Picture Company’s Alex Heineman and Andrew Rona are producing. Sony last fall bought a Robin Hood pitch for $1 million from Cory Goodman and Jeremy Lott with Aperture’s Adam Goldworm executive producing. That project, Hood, has been described as Fast and Furious meets Mission: Impossible. So all projects have a different take.

Robin Hood: Origins is being produced by Appian Way with Harold and Tory Tunnell under their Safehouse Pictures banner.

The Robin Hood story has been remade several times from the earliest silent picture in 1908 to the swashbuckling Errol Flynn film in 1938. Of course, it continued to be remade for both small and big screen, including a twisted take starring the Rat Pack in Robin and the Seven Hoods.Others who have stepped into the role have been Kevin Costner in Morgan Creeks’ Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves which was in the marketplace at the same time the Patrick Bergin/Uma Thurman Robin Hood was. Mel Brooks even had his spoof — Robin Hood: Men in Tights with Cary Elwes. And then there was Hood that starred Russell Crowe. All spawned from one great novel, written in 1883 by American illustrator/writer Howard Pyle. Not bad for a 132-year old tome.

Harold wrote the Warner Bros.’ tale Knights of the Round Table: King Arthur which Guy Ritchie is directing. While it remains to be seen if it will outshine Excalibur, it has an impressive line-up in casting Charlie Hunnam, Jude Law, Djimon Hounsou and Eric Bana.

Harold is repped by CAA; Harold is also repped by attorney Carlos Goodman.